Relying on a Memory II
by The Muffinator 3
Summary: Maria's back in Radiator Springs! This time: I say pwap! too many times... This is a sequel, so first read the first!
1. Two Years

**Oh, dear, I kind of lied, didn't I? Okay...It turns out that I got really occupied with 8th grade and all, coughandhomestarrunnercough so this is all I have so far...And I may not be able to get the next chapter in until at least late May. I'm so sorry everybody! At least enjoy this in the meanwhile. Think of it as a preview!**

**Chapter 1: Two Years**

Images of faces, human and automobile, swirled in my mind. Voices of people I knew or had known echoed against the bones in my skull. Scents of familiar foods, locations, and even people lingered in my nostrils. Through all of this, I felt as if I was without a body. That was an eerie sensation.

Everything felt like a dream, in a surreal sort of sense, yet it lacked that hazy feeling. My senses were overwhelmed; this was too vivid to be a dream.

"Find it," commanded a thought from nowhere.

Instantly knowing what "it" was, I searched through the memories, passing thousands of floating photographs. Then, I found "it". It was a picture of a violet BMW, along with a manilla folder labeled "6/9/06". Suddenly, the objects rushed towards my vantage point.

A large vortex swallowed me up.

* * *

I awoke screaming, as if from a night terror. My heart was pounding–

No...that wasn't a heart pounding. I sensed pistons.

I took in my surroundings. It consisted of sand, a tree, and a cliff. However, I recognized my surroundings. That only meant one thing.

"I'm in the world of my favorite movie again!" I exclaimed to no one in particular.

I zoomed through roads I knew only from video games. I figured that my appearance in Tailfin Pass may have had something to do with William. I just hoped that he had arrived in Radiator Springs already.

"I don't have amnesia this time!" I said to myself.

Although, something in the rearview mirror distracted me. Apparently, a difference of two whole years has given me a darker shade of purple and two thin black stripes on each side...

"What the–?!"

Squealing tires were heard! A flash of black veered to the side!

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" I apologized quickly.

"I'm fine," he replied.

Then I realized that the car I almost crashed into was Kristopher.

"Kristopher!" I said before ruching to hug him.

"I know that voice..." Kristopher wondered aloud.

"It's me, Maria!" I exclaimed.

"Maria! I haven't seen you in so long. What are you doing here?"

"I don't know. What are you doing here?"

"I was just going over to help Sally at the Wheel Well."

"The Wheel–? Oh, yeah. You've been in Radiator Springs for the past two years?"

"Yup. Derek and I had a house built across from Ramone and Flo's house. It's not bad. Derek's also engaged now."

"Really?"

"The wedding's in three days."

"I guess I'm just in time then." We shared a laugh.

"Is that what brings you here?"

"I had no idea about the wedding. I was going to ask you if you knew."

"What do you mean?"

"Have you seen William recently?"

"No, not since he, you, and Marcus went back to your world."

"Oh..."

"I kind of have to get to Sally." Kristopher began backing up slowly. "Do you know how to get to town?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," I assured him.

"Okay. See you later."

Kristopher drove off, leaving my in my uncertainty.

**Good? Bad? Want more? Feel free to leave your response by clicking that lovely button down there. Oh, and if you ever find yourself bored, be sure to go to homestarrunner-dot-com. It's an awesome website! I don't care what my brother thinks, Homestar is funny!**


	2. Finding Derek

**Aw, man, I am so flaky...School was a lot busier than I thought it would be. I'm sorry everyone. I'd like to thank foreignxconceptsxx and dogman15 for being the first reviewers. Thank you so much!**

**Chapter 2: Finding Derek**

Upon my arrival I was greeted by...no one. Radiator Springs was much busier from the last time I was here. The main road had an extra lane each way. However, I still had to keep moving, because other cars had shops they wanted to stop by.

I couldn't think, though. There was so much activity around me. Who should I talk to first? What should I ask them?

I turned automatically onto a street that I knew had Ramone and Flo's house on it. Just as Kristopher said, there was another house across from it. I drove up to it and knocked on the door.

"Just a minute!" a female voice called from inside.

During my sixty seconds of waiting, I took notice of the house's design. Kristopher described it as "not bad". The place seemed as if it had at least three bedrooms and a rather nice color scheme of light yellows. Just then the door opened.

"Hello there," a light blue 1991 Toyota Camry with hazel eyes greeted.

"Uh, hi," I said. "I'm Maria, a friend of Derek's." I figured I should introduce myself before asking any questions.

"Well, a friend of my fiance's should be a friend of mine," she said with a smile. She moved out of the way of the doorway. "Come on in."

I followed hesitantly. "Um..."

"I should probably tell you my name," the Toyota realized. "I'm Tarin. So what brings you here, Maria?"

"Actually, I don't know myself," I answered.

Tarin gave me a puzzled look.

"You see," I pressed on, "I come from another universe entirely. There, Derek was a really close friend of mine, but then he was injured beyond repair in a car accident, like his cousin, Kristopher. Kristopher's brother, William, missed them both, and a dream of his brought all four of us here. However, William and I decided that we couldn't stay here forever, and found a way to return to our original universe. Kristopher and Derek apparently stayed here for the past two years. Now, I'm back, and I came to this house to find Derek."

Tarin still looked confused.

"It's very complicated, I'm sorry, but I need to find Derek."

"Oh, he's at Luigi's right now. Derek helps out whenever he can."

"Thanks Tarin!" I zoomed out the house and drove across four lanes of traffic to get to Luigi's Casa Della Tires.

"Yes, another customer," Luigi said as soon as I rolled into the store.

"Actually, Luigi, I'm trying to find someone–"

"Here at Luigi's Casa Della Tires, we are never too busy," he announced. "Guido! Get the young lady our finest set of whitewalls."

"Pit stop!" the little blue forklift said enthusiastically.

I soon found myself on a lift with the aforementioned whitewalls.

"Luigi, this is very nice and all, but I'm trying to find someone," I said.

Shock was written all over his and Guido's face. These days, the dozens of people who came in each day probably never left the shop with at least one set of new tires.

"I'm sorry," I said quietly.

"Maria?" a familiar voice came from deep inside the shop.

"Derek!" I exclaimed.

Derek drove up to me. "What are you doing here?"

"I don't know what I'm doing in this universe. I just decided to visit you while I was here."

"Here, let me get you down," Derek offered. He pushed the button to lower the lift.

"I remember seeing you get your tires replaced and thinking that it must hurt," I said warmly.

"Getting new tires is more like getting new shoes then new feet or hands," Derek laughed.

**Now that summer's in full swing, I will try my very very best to update as frequently as muffinly possible (which should be at least once a week). Once you're finished reviewing, check out my profile page! It's undergoing renovation as I'm getting invovled in other interests (for example: drawing). Until next time!**


	3. Midday

**Okay, here's the third chapter! (And it's kind of lacking in the "Good Title" department.)**

**Chapter 3: Midday**

Since it was lunchtime, Luigi allowed Derek to take a break to talk to me. We went to Flo's, since helping Luigi and Guido all day worked up Derek's appetite.

"I met Tarin," I said after we received our orders.

"Really?" Derek asked. His eyes lit up at just the mention of her. In this world, I found that his gray eyes matched his paint job, but they seemed to stand out now; a much lighter shade than from a few moments ago.

"She seems really nice," I continued. "Kristopher told me how the wedding is in three days."

Derek blushed lightly at this statement. "Yeah. Everyone in town is getting ready. I believe the last wedding in Radiator Springs was the one for Ramone and Flo." He paused to sip at his oil. "Tarin's really amazing. I'm so thankful to have met her."

I examined Derek's expression. He stared at the concrete floor just before me with a distant look in his eyes, but a dreamy smile planted on his face. The last time I saw that look was on Marcus, back in the 9th grade.

Marcus...

I must have zoned out, too, because I didn't respond to Derek until the third time he called my name.

"Maria!"

"What? Huh?"

"Kristopher says I space out pretty easily, but at least I know why!"

"Oh, it was nothing."

"What do you mean 'nothing'?" Derek squinted his eyes at me and wore a mock sly smile. I laughed in spite of myself.

"I mean 'nothing' as in it is a matter of little importance," I said with a fancy accent.

"Well, excuse me, Miss I-have-to-speak-all-proper, I was just asking," he replied in the same accent.

We shared a satisfying laugh.

Then Derek became serious. "Because if something really is bothering you, you can always tell me about it."

"I know."

Just then, Kristopher drove up, looking very exhausted and distressed.

"Kristopher, what's wrong? What happened?" Derek asked

Kristopher attempted to tell us the sum of what happened. "Wheel Well– just now– giant...bookcase– crash!– Sally!"

Derek and I gasped.

"I can't find Mater or Lightning to help!" Kristopher exclaimed.

"I think I know where they are," Derek said. "Maria, you can probably help, too."

I nodded in agreement.

"I'll catch up soon; you guys go ahead," Kristopher called after us. As Derek and I drove away, I heard Kristopher mutter, "I need to work out more often..."

We raced down the main road and turned onto a street or two. However, we didn't "race" so much as we said "excuse us", "pardon us", "sorry", and "thank you" repeatedly to get past the traffic.

"Where are we headed?" I inquired.

"Willy's Butte," Derek said simply.

"Wouldn't Kristopher had thought to search there?"

"He probably didn't. Kristopher usually takes the wrong turn."

"Oh." I mouthed.

If only Kristopher did know the right turn, he would have found Lightning and Mater at Willy's Butte, racing each other on the dirt track.

"Lightning, Mater!" Derek called. He joined in the race to tell them what had happened.

I just parked on the ledge. Making that sharp turn successfully was a lot easier in a video game than when you're an actual car.

I witnessed Lightning brake sharply and turn around to face Derek. Mater followed suit. I couldn't hear any of the conversation from where I was. Lightning, followed by Mater, took off for the direction of the Wheel Well. Derek drove up to me.

"Maria, can you tell Luigi I might be gone for a little longer than expected?" Derek asked.

**-little jingle starts playing- Reviews, reviews, that's what readers can do! Reviews, reviews, writers love them, too! -music stops- Yeah!**


	4. Found Him!

**Whew, got it in. Next chapter we'll absolutely be within seven days from now. I finally have the conflict set in...brain tissue.**

**Chapter 4: Found Him!**

After doing what Derek asked me to do, I decided to return to Flo's. I would most likely fail in trying to help by rushing to the Wheel Well fifteen minutes after Lightning, Mater, and Derek had done so. Maybe Kristopher was justified in making the wrong turn every time on the way to Willy's Butte. I must have "made the wrong turn" about eight times!

However, I never reached Flo's as I intended, at least not without a side stop.

"William!" I exclaimed.

He tensed up upon hearing me shout his name, knowing what was to come.

"Glomp!" I squealed.

As a human, I would get a running start, leap, and land on William's hood with my arms in an embrace, with William exclaiming, "Oh, my suspension," and both of us erupting in laughter. I started this tradition about a year ago.

As a car, a glomp was just a hug that moved William a couple of inches from his original spot, apparently.

"Maria?" William said. "You finally mastered that car transformation thingy?"

"What? William we're in the universe of my favorite movie again."

"Again? I don't recall ever being here."

A slight pause ensued. I finally let go of him.

"William, please don't tell me that you don't have any memory of being in Radiator Springs."

"Okay, then I won't."

I breathed I sigh of relief.

"I'll tell you that I know I have never been in this 'Radiator Springs' you're talking about."

I stared back at him incredulously. "William, we were depending on you to find out how we I got here again and how to get back."

"'We'? Who is this 'we'?"

"Derek, Kristopher, and I."

Now it was William's turn to stare back at me incredulously.

"You really don't remember anything, do you, William?"

William shook his head sadly.

"Hmm...Well, this is inconvenient," I said simply.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"We have no idea what to do next. We might be stuck here forever. It might not be the worst thing in the world, but eventually, our disappearance will concern my parents."

"Isn't this kind of thing where you're gone for a whole decade and only a second happened in your own world or something?"

"Yeah, except a whole day here equals about five minutes in our world. At least when we're here..."

"What's _that _supposed to mean?" William asked after another slight pause.

"I've mentioned that I was last here two years ago, which was the time difference in our world, to Kristopher and Tarin, but they didn't say otherwise."

"Who's Tarin?"

"Huh? Oh, Derek's getting married."

"This is a lot to take in."

"You'll get used to it, I'm sure," I said honestly.

William smiled softly.

Our last visit here was my confusion and lack of memory trying to follow his lies and cover-ups. Now it was his confusion following my honest guidance. How that can get us home, I would not have been able to tell you at the moment.

Then, Kristopher rolled up, "Cool, you found him."

"Kristopher!" William and I exclaimed at the same time.

**Okay! Umm...thanks for reading and be sure to review!**


	5. Here We Go Again

**In the first video game, I remember having a hard time finding Doc's Challenge. I wanted to use the actual roads, but I got frustrated and zoomed through some snad.**

**Chapter 5: Here We Go Again**

"Kristopher, weren't you supposed to catch up with Derek and the others?" I asked.

"I did," Kristopher replied. "When I got there, everything was under control. The bookcase was up, Sally wasn't seriously hurt, and even most of the books were back on the shelf. Derek's planning on getting some kind of hardware whatevers to keep the bookcases from falling again. They're pretty tall. What happened to you?"

"I had a hard time getting back into town from Willy's Butte," I said sheepishly.

"Mind filling me in?" William nearly shouted. "Kristopher how did you get here?" William turned to me. "And you said Derek is getting married."

"In three days!" Kristopher pointed out cheerfully.

William's eyes fell to the ground. "The last time I spoke to Derek, he said nothing about being engaged."

"William," I said. I put my tire on his to comfort him. "That was the last time either of us spoke to him, but it wasn't as long ago as you think it was. It was only two years. Right, Kristopher?"

"To the day, I believe," Kristopher mused.

"Aha!" I exclaimed suddenly. "It was two years in your world as well! William, when we're here, time in our world slows down, but when everyone is in the right place, time is exactly the same."

"That makes sense," William said.

"How can that make sense?" Kristopher asked. He seemed baffled.

"Well... This car world and the human world where we originally came from are, simply put, alternate realities, or 'parallel dimensions', as the latter implies that the worlds coexist as one but are independent of each other. Since time is the same in both worlds when everyone is where they should be, then this case is almost certainly one of parallel dimensions. However, in the rare occasion when someone is misplaced, such as one person or car appearing in the other world, the world in which the came from is highly disturbed, thus slowing down time there. Then, when the person returns to their home, time returns to normal, and the time in the world they visited is slowed until the other world catches up." William, who was pacing during his speech, turned to face us. He frowned when he saw our somewhat confused faces.

I shook away my silly, dumbfounded expression. "I think Kristopher had a rhetorical question, William."

"Oh, sorry," William said.

"Yeah, give us a little warning before you go off on one of your long-winded speeches again," Kristopher said with a laugh.

"As, uh... thorough... as your explanation was, I don't think I understand how time is still normal when Kristopher and Derek are here," I said. "They came from the human world."

"I think I can answer that one," Kristopher responded for William. "Derek and I no longer have a place where we were born. There, we're dead. Be time doesn't slow down until someone is missing, or _mis_placed, no matter where we go, nothing will get highly disturbed, or whatever."

"Because you can't get misplaced if you don't have a place to begin with," William completed. "But how are you here?"

"All because of some crazy dream you once had, brother," Kristopher replied.

William's eyes fell to the ground in shame. "I don't remember having such a dream. I don't remember ever being here."

"Hey!" I exclaimed. "Maybe that's how we get back William!"

"Maybe what is how we get back?" he asked.

"You don't remember it, but the last time we were here I had to remember something to get us back," I answered. "For us to go back this time, you have to remember something."

"I don't get–"

"William, you should get it. You should be able to remember the last time we were in this world!"

**Thank you to all! Reviews from all!**


	6. Slumber Party

**Okay, this chapter is over twice as big as any other chapter I've written before. I decided not to split it, because I'm going to be out of the country from the 27th of July to August 8th, and I will definitely not be able to update until after I come back. This time my cousin is getting married.**

**Chapter 6: Slumber Party**

The day ended with William and I being formally introduced with the rest of the town. When finished, I wasn't just tired or even exhausted, but I was sleepy. So I could wake up in the mornings without hitting the snooze button, my mom had me go to sleep at around the same time each night. It was now 11:30 PM, a whole hour after I'm usually asleep. Time flies when you're chatting with friends, both old and new, in the world of your favorite movie, so that a gas station is the equivalent of a restaurant.

"Oh no, where will William and I sleep?" I asked. Sally had just informed me that she had no vacancy at the Cozy Cone and that the Wheel Well

"You could probably crash at our place," Derek offered.

"Yeah, we have extra blankets and stuff," Tarin said.

"Sweet, slumber party!" Kristopher exclaimed.

At the house that Derek, Tarin, and Kristopher lived in, Kristopher rushed straight inside. The rest of us slowly followed. I made a mistake by being the first one in after Kristopher. I was met with (pwap!) a pillow to the face–or more accurately, the hood.

"Pillow fight!" Kristopher said.

"I'm sorry, Kristopher, but I'm too tired–" I began.

"Maria, Derek's bachelor party is tomorrow evening," Kristopher stated. "Then the next evening the rehearsal dinner, and the next evening is the wedding." He started hitting me lightly and rhythmically with the pillow to emphasize his next sentence. "We may never (pwap!) be able (pwap!) to attack (pwap!) each other (pwap!) with pillows (pwap!) in a slumber-(pwap!)-style setting (pwap!) ever again!"

* * *

This brought back memories from when I was still in elementary school. I believe I was about seven years old. My parents were searching for another car to own. They had contemplated purchasing another BMW, like William, but were still unsure. Bored, I decided to wander the lot of pre-owned vehicles. By this time, I had known of my ability to communicate with cars for about three years, and it was more like learning a language. The cars in the human world don't ever have eyes and mouths like in the world of my favorite movie, but I was sure who I was talking to.

Most of the cars I spoke to that day didn't have much to say. Some wanted me to leave them alone, others ignored me completely, and only a select few greeted me and introduced themselves. Kristopher was one of them.

"_Hi, what's your name?" _I remember asking.

"_Y-You're talking to me?" _the black BMW had responded timidly.

"_Of course I'm talking to you, there's no one else here."_

"_No one ever talks to me. They only talk about me, and then they move on."_

"_Yeah, it looks pretty rough being put up for sale like this."_

"_I only wish I knew where my brother is."_

"_Oh no, you were separated from your brother? That's horrible! What's his name?"_

"_His name..." _I remember Kristopher's voice breaking here, as if he were crying. _"His name is William."_

My face had lit up with joy. _"Is he beige and looks like you?"_

"_Yes, he is. You know where he is?"_

"_Just stay put, I'll be right back." _At that moment I ran off to show my parents the new friend I just made. Of course, I only told them "I found a cool car".

"_I won't be going anywhere!" _Kristopher had called after me.

For about a week after my parents took Kristopher home, I would creep out of the house each night and talk to him and William. At the time, Derek was the vehicle my brother used for college in DC. One night, I was sitting in the grass telling Kristopher about my favorite television show, and the sprinklers suddenly turned on. It didn't bother me; I even dashed around the lawn in my nighties like it was part of a ballet. The next morning I awoke with a cold. My mom started getting worried, since she noticed my lack of sleep and that it was a strange time of year to catch a cold. To avoid worrying my mom much more, without telling her my secret ability, I stopped visiting Kristopher and William every night for a whole month.

On the Saturday before I had to start the second grade, I asked my parents if I could have a camp out on the back porch. I had eaten S'mores and popcorn and read some kiddie books under a flashlight with them. Eventually they went inside and told me it was time to go to sleep. I had a tent set up and everything, so I curled up inside the sleeping bag in there, so they would think I was asleep. When I heard them turn off all the lights and the noise of the TV in their room stop, I picked up the bowl of remaining popcorn with two extra S'mores I had saved and my pillow and went outside.

"_I brought you guys a treat!" I had said cheerfully. I strode across the lawn with the bowl on my pillow._

I held the bowl out before them so they could see.

"_Uh...Thanks, Maria." _Looking back, I'm believe Kristopher wasn't exactly sure what he was thanking me for.

"_Maria, I don't think we can eat that stuff," _William had stated simply.

"_Huh?" _Dumbfounded, I looked down at the popcorn bowl, then to Kristopher and William, and back to the bowl. _"Aw...I'm so stupid!"_

"_Don't say that; you know it's not true," _William had said calmly.

"_But it is," _I cried. Tears had begun to flow down my cheeks. I cried over silly things back then.

"_Maria," _Kristopher began. _"You're a very smart girl. You're also really nice. If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have become friends."_

"_I wouldn't have been able to find my little brother," _William had said. _"So what if we can't eat the food you brought us? It's the thought that counts."_

The dark cloud over my head had finally dissipated, and I smiled at their compliments. _"I think you're nice, too. That's why I wanted to bring you something. I'm sorry I couldn't come and talk to you two for a whole month. My mom noticed I wasn't sleeping enough."_

"_We figured it was because of that." _William admitted.

I suddenly had an idea and put the bowl down on the sidewalk. I held the pillow firmly and (pwap!) hit Kristopher on the hood playfully. _"Pillow fight!" _I had said with a giggle.

"_Pillow fight?" _Kristopher had repeated.

"_It's when two or more friends attack each other with pillows," _I explained. _"You only use pillows so no one gets hurt. It's a game."_

"_Hey, I'm unarmed!" _Kristopher exclaimed. We all laughed.

"_I'll probably bring more pillows another night, then we can all play." _I picked the bowl up from off the ground.

"_You promise?" _William had asked.

"_I promise. Although, I have to somehow convince my parents to let us have a slumber party." _In my head that sentence was actually, "Although, I have to somehow convince my parents that their cars are living beings."

* * *

...Wow, that was a long flashback... Over time, I believe we forgot that promise or I decided that my parents would never believe me. Either way, it was never fulfilled for nine years.

After recalling a promise made over nine years ago, I rolled over to the couch, picked up a sofa cushion, and froze in place for a few moments to build tension. "CHARGE!!" I rushed over to Kristopher and (pwap!)'d him back.

Pillow Fight: Battle Royale ensued. Soon, everyone had a pillow in a tire to defend themselves and to assault anyone nearby. After ten minutes, Tarin decided to arm herself with two pillows. It seemed pretty effective, as she was able to take out her fiance and the elder of his two cousins at once, until she somehow ran over the pillows. Kristopher and I were taking turns laughing and hitting each other with our pillows, when we were suddenly put in a blizzard of feathers.

"Aah, I'm going blind!" Kristopher screamed.

"You're not going blind," Tarin said as the feathers gradually fell to the floor.

When vision was restored, I looked over to Kristopher. I burst into laughter immediately. "You look like freaking duck!"

Kristopher blew a couple of feathers from his mouth and smirked. "So do you!"

Tarin reversed a few feet to reveal two flattened pillowcases on the floor.

"That's...kind of a sign that we should be finishing our pillow fight now," Derek said slowly.

Their house had two bedrooms. Derek and Kristopher informed me that they slept in their own beds in the master bedroom, while the other bedroom was just a den. When Tarin and Derek got married, they shared the master bedroom, and the den became Kristopher's own room. I had planned on going to sleep on the floor alongside William, but when Kristopher saw me setting up a purple blanket in the middle of the living room, he insisted on having us switch sleeping spots.

Before turning off the light, I glanced around Kristopher's room. There was a poster or two of bands of which I noticed the names were familiar, but were slightly more automobile-inclined, a dresser, interestingly, considering cars didn't wear any type of clothing, at least to my knowledge, and a night stand with a stereo on top of it. The stereo reminded me of the one I had back home: stacked with CD cases.

Home. I hoped I would be able to make it back there.

Just before I turned off the light, I heard a light knock on the door.

"You can come in," I called.

It was Kristopher at the door. "So, is everything all right?"

"Yeah, it's fine," I replied. "You didn't have to give up your bed, you know. I was fine with sleeping out there–"

"No, it's okay. It would be rude of me not to."

"Well, then, thank you. It's really sweet of you."

Kristopher smiled. "You're welcome. Good night, Maria."

"Good night, Kristopher."

"Oh, and I'm glad you remembered your promise."

Kristopher closed the door, which for some reason, was preceded by the sound of some object hitting the floor.

I laughed to myself and turned out the light.

**I hope you liked this chapter, if so, then please review. I enjoyed typing it up. I made at least three refrences to inside jokes from that website I mentioned at the end of the first chapter. If there are any more than that, I'm not aware of them!**


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